WHO Service Availability Readiness Assessments (SARA)

A Reference manual which includes an overview of the survey process, tools, and indicators. An Implementation guide which provides a step-by-step instruction for a SARA survey. SARA is a health facility assessment tool designed to generate a set of tracer indicators of service availability (physical presence of services) and readiness (capacity to deliver services) and measurement methods to detect change and monitor progress in HSS. It builds on experiences of SAM, SPA, working with USAID and partners to scale up SARA in countries. The SARA survey generates a set of tracer indicators of service availability and readiness that can be used to: detect change and measure progress in health system strengthening over time; plan and monitor the scale-up of interventions that are key to achieving the SDGs; generate the evidence base to feed into country annual health reviews; support national planners in planning and managing health systems In a sample report, the following information on immunization can be found: Percentage of health facilities offering child immunization services (measured through DTP+Hib+HepB, Polio, BCG) either in the facility or as outreach, according to level of service, managing authority, ownership and residence. Among health facilities offering child immunization services, the percentage with trained staff, guidelines, equipment, and medicines, according to level of service, managing authority, ownership and residence. Among health facilities offering child immunization services, the percentage of staff and training, equipment, medicines and commodities, readiness to provide child immunization services, total number of facilities offering child immunization services. The number of countries that have conducted this assessment is limited, and data can be accessed at national level.